Detain Dominates in Cardinal Conditions Stakes Victory

Last night’s edition of the £100,000 bet365 Cardinal Conditions Stakes delivered on its promise of high-calibre competition, as Detain, owned by Juddmonte, stormed to an emphatic victory in the UK’s richest Conditions race.

Ridden perfectly by Kieran Shoemark, the John & Thady Gosden-trained three-year-old who was making his first appearance of the season following contesting the Group 1 Futurity Stakes last Autumn showcased his class.

Detain defeated an exceptionally strong field composed of Group performing horses in a fiercely competitive renewal. While course winner Port Light had led the pack until the final stages, the 5/4 favourite changed gears to surpass Listed winners Luther and Yaroogh to win nicely by a length.

John Gosden commented saying “A perfect race for three-year-olds at the right time of year. Proper prize money and level weights”

The son of Wootton Bassett not only secured the win, but did so in spectacular fashion—shattering the race record by more than two seconds, a performance that firmly stamps him as one to watch in the months ahead.

With the dust now settled on a landmark night at Chelmsford, eyes will be on where Detain heads next in what looks set to be an exciting campaign. Connections have also gained an automatic entry to the $1m American Turf Stakes at Churchill Downs, which was recently upgraded to Grade 1 status.

Attention now moves to Chelmsford City’s first Listed race of the year, the Chelmer Stakes, the £80,000 sprint on Thursday 1 May that has been won by Believing, Pandora’s Gift and Happy Romance. For information about the race and tickets, please click here.